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  • Where To Watch Kenneth Branagh’s ‘A Haunting In Venice’

    Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver and Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    (L to R) Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver and Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    The third installment in the Agatha Christie movies takes a chilling turn in ‘A Haunting in Venice’. Actor and director Kenneth Branagh returns to helm the film and reprise his role of the famed mustache detective, Hercule Poirot.

    A Murder Mystery Fit For Halloween

    Michelle Yeoh as Mrs. Reynolds in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting in Venice.'
    Michelle Yeoh as Mrs. Reynolds in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting in Venice.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    The movie is based on Christie’s novel ‘Hallowe’en Party’ and will be available on streaming and digital just in time for Halloween. While these murder mystery novels are often accompanied by a sense of suspense and horror, ‘A Haunting In Venice’ leans straight into the horror theme by placing the murder inside a haunted palazzo.

    Releasing on Halloween means the film will just make the Huluween line-up at the end of its celebration. Additionally, ‘A Haunting In Venice’ will also be available to rent or purchase on digital on the same day.

    Related Article: Movie Review: ‘A Haunting In Venice’

    The Film Switched From Shooting In 70 Millimeter To Digital

    Director Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot and crew on the set of 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    (L to R) Director Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot and crew on the set of 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Branagh teams up once again with cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos (‘Death on the Nile’, ‘The Orient Express’). In an interview with Collider, the British cinematographer expands on why they made the switch from filming on 70 millimeter to digital, “There were a lot of photographic characteristics that we wanted to maintain in the Poirot films. One was a certain kind of clarity, the other is a sense of depth of field.” he explains.

    “One of the things that I think makes the intimacy of the portraiture that we have used on previous Poirot films is that we work at a slightly higher depth of field than most films, T4. Not ‘Citizen Kane‘ levels, but just enough that a face and its features are all in focus. So, we wanted to shoot with a large format lens camera system that was in the highest sensitivity to light, and that was the Sony Venice 2. Those photographic elements were more important than the analog versus digital – that we were able to shoot at low-light levels but with our preferred depth of field. Those were the choices behind shooting this with a digital camera.”

    Where Can I Watch ‘A Haunting In Venice’?

    Kelly Reilly as Rowena Drake in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    Kelly Reilly as Rowena Drake in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    ‘A Haunting In Venice’ held its world premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square at the West End London on September 11th. It was released domestically on September 15, 2023, and is still available in theaters if you want to experiment it in standard format or in IMAX. ‘A Haunting In Venice’ has a total runtime of 1 hour and 44 minutes.

    Buy Tickets: ‘A Haunting in Venice’ Movie Showtimes

    Watch the official trailers for ‘A Haunting In Venice’ below:

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    The movie will be available on digital on October 31 on major platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, YouTube, and Google Play for rent or purchase.

    Where to Watch: ‘A Haunting In Venice’ Online

    Fans of physical media can also look forward to 4K UHD, Blu-Ray, and DVD release of the film on November 28.

    Buy ‘A Haunting In Venice’ Movie On Amazon

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    The official synopsis for ‘A Haunting In Venice’ is below:

    Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) has retired from detective work and has moved to Italy to live a quiet life. His peace is interrupted when old friend and novelist Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) stops by and insists he attends a séance on Halloween in order to expose a psychic named Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). However, when a murder occurs, Poirot vows to catch the killer within the haunted palazzo.

    Who Is In The Cast of ‘A Haunting In’?

    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting in Venice.'
    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting in Venice.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Movie Review: ‘A Haunting in Venice’

    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Opening in theaters on September 15th is ‘A Haunting in Venice,’ which is the third film in actor and director Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie trilogy following 2017’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and 2022’s ‘Death on the Nile.’

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    What is the plot of ‘A Haunting in Venice’?

    Following the events of ‘Death on the Nile,’ the world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), has retired and is now living a quiet life in Italy. One day he is visited by his old friend and mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), who invites him to a séance on Halloween to expose a fraudulent psychic named Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). But when someone if murdered, Poirot vows to catch the killer.

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    Who is in the cast of ‘A Haunting in Venice’?

    Initial Thoughts

    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot and Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    (L to R) Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot and Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    ‘A Haunting in Venice’ feels more like an epilogue than an actual third installment but is still a fairly entertaining yet predictable mystery movie. Kenneth Branagh gives another good performance as Hercule Poirot but the film never really seems to come together as a whole. The new supporting cast create interesting foils for Poirot, but ultimately, the mystery is not that hard for the audience to solve.

    Story and Direction

    Director Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot and crew on the set of 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    (L to R) Director Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot and crew on the set of 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    The movie begins by introducing us to an older and weathered Hercule Poirot (Branagh), who is now retired from detective work and living a quiet life in Italy. One day he is visited by his old friend, an American mystery novelist named Ariadne Oliver (Fey), who’s most popular literary character is based on Poirot himself. Oliver invites Poirot to a séance on Halloween night at the house of the wealthy Rowena Drake (Reilly), who recently lost her daughter in a tragic accident. The séance is being conducted by a medium named Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). Oliver believes she is the real deal and wants to base her next novel on her, but needs Poirot, ever the skeptic, to witness her work and confirm she’s for real.

    Poirot is not impressed by Reynolds, and confirms his suspicions but is then attacked by an unknown assailant. Not long after, one of the guests is murdered and with a storm closing the canals, the remaining guests are trapped in Drake’s house, presumably with the killer, and with nowhere else to go. While waiting for the weather to clear, Poirot begins to investigate and questions everyone, including Oliver, Drake, her doctor, Dr. Leslie Ferrier (Jamie Dornan), and his young son, Leopold Ferrier (Jude Hill).

    I enjoyed both of Branagh’s other Agatha Christie movies, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and ‘Death on the Nile,’ but ‘A Haunting in Venice’ lacks the scope or style of its predecessors. It feels rushed, truncated and lacking of any real purpose. In fact, Branagh’s performance is really the only bright spot in the movie, which is otherwise tedious. But as a director, Branagh adds no style or freshness to the movie. It’s pretty much a paint-by-numbers mystery, and nothing is added to make that more sophisticated or cinematic. The first two movies benefited from the exotic locations which Branagh shot in an epic manner, but the director does not utilize his backdrop here, as most scenes take place at night, in the rain, or inside.

    A scene from 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting in Venice.'
    A scene from 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting in Venice.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Kenneth Branagh’s performance as Hercule Poirot

    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting in Venice.'
    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting in Venice.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    The only saving grace ‘Haunting’ offers is Branagh’s solid performance as Poirot. After three movies the actor really has the character down, and it helps that we as an audience have embraced him in this role. In this outing, Branagh explores Poirot’s age and his passion for life after spending so much of it surrounded by death. This Poirot is older, weathered, and questioning himself, maybe for the first time in his life, and it’s an interesting juxtaposition for the character. Also this time around, Branagh wisely chose to cut back Poirot’s signature mustache just a bit, which doesn’t affect the character or the performance, but is a little less distracting than in the previous films.

    Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Death on the Nile’ 

    Supporting Cast

    Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver, Michelle Yeoh as Mrs. Reynolds, and Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    (L to R) Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver, Michelle Yeoh as Mrs. Reynolds, and Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    This is where the movie starts to fall apart, and it’s not the fault of the actors, who are all very good, but their characters are either poorly written or not fleshed out enough. Now some may not care for Tina Fey’s performance as Ariadne Oliver, as she is basically doing a Katherine Hepburn impression, but I actually thought the characterization fit well considering the movie’s 1940’s setting. Oliver is feisty and smart, and a good companion to Poirot, and Fey has nice chemistry with Branagh. However, without giving anything away, a twist in the third act renders the character unreliable.

    Jude Hill, who was last seen in Branagh’s Oscar-winning ‘Belfast,’ gives a good performance as the precocious Leopold Ferrier and has strong chemistry with Jamie Dornan, who once again plays his father as he did in ‘Belfast.’ As Dr. Leslie Ferrier, Dornan is solid and plays a man with PTSD well, but the character is not given enough to do and is basically used as a red herring to the mystery.

    Recent Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh has a few fun scenes as the psychic Joyce Reynolds, but again, is really not given a lot to do. You don’t really get a chance to know the character or understand her motivations in her limited screentime, and again, it’s a shame the character was used as a bit of a red herring. It was nice to see ‘Yellowstone’ actress Kelly Reilly return to the big screen, and while the actress plays the role to the best of her abilities, the character was terribly written and weakens the mystery at the core of the story.

    Predictable Mystery

    Kelly Reilly as Rowena Drake in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    Kelly Reilly as Rowena Drake in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    The real problem with ‘A Haunting in Venice’ is that the mystery is too predictable and easy to solve. While there was a bit of a twist in the third act, I knew who the killer was from the beginning and it just seemed too obvious. While the previous movies had third act twists as well, they seemed fresh and original at the time and this one just feels like we’ve seen it before.

    Final Thoughts

    Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver and Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    (L to R) Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver and Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    While ‘A Haunting in Venice’ is a serviceable and entertaining enough movie that includes another fine performance by Branagh as Poirot, it lacks the fun and urgency of the previous films and features an extremely predictable mystery at its core.

    ‘A Haunting in Venice’ receives 5 out of 10 stars.

    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios' 'A Haunting In Venice.'
    Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in 20th Century Studios’ ‘A Haunting In Venice.’ Photo by Rob Youngson. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

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    Buy Tickets: ‘A Haunting in Venice’ Movie Showtimes

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    ‘A Haunting in Venice’ is produced by 20th Century Studios, Scott Free Productions, The Mark Gordon Company, and Genre Films. It is set to release in theaters on September 15th, 2023.

     

     

  • Movie Review: ‘Golda’

    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    Opening in theaters on August 25th, ‘Golda’ is a look at a specific moment in the life of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.

    Starring Helen Mirren and directed by Guy Nattiv (who previously made based-on-truth biopic ‘Skin), it’s a dramatically satisfying film that still suffers from some issues of scale and pace.

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    What’s the story of ‘Golda’?

    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    ‘Golda’ is a ticking-clock thriller set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Mirren), faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), with millions of lives in the balance.

    Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world.

    Who else is in ‘Golda’?

    Liev Schreiber in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Liev Schreiber in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    ‘Golda’s cast also includes Henry Goodman, Emma Davies, Camille Cottin, Rotem Keinan, Jonathan Tafler, Ellie Piercy and Rami Heuberger.

    Related Article: Director Guy Nattiv Talks ‘Golda’ and Working with Helen Mirren

    Does ‘Golda’ succeed?

    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    Telling the story of a real-life figure is always tricky. There was a time when most examples were the cradle-to-grave variety, picking up the person effectively from birth, stopping at certain important waypoints in their lives and attempting to cram in some assessment of their legacy.

    These days, however, the fashion is for movies that focus instead on a specific time period of the person, especially for those that have had their stories told in the past.

    Golda Meir, who served as Israel’s Prime Minister, has had her life brought to screens at least twice already, in 2003 and 2019 notably. Both of those were documentaries, and now here comes the biodrama version, which takes as its focus her choices and actions during the Yom Kippur War.

    It’s a particularly fertile time during Meir’s Prime Ministerial reign (she was the head of Israel’s government between 1969 and 1974), since it saw her dealing with a particularly thorny crisis for the country, as it came under attack by Egypt and Syria (with Russia backing the Arabic side and America throwing its support behind Israel).

    This take on the tale has one giant advantage, and that is Dame Helen Mirren. The veteran British actor is slavered in make-up that give her at least a close approximation of the leader. But it’s in her performance that she really brings the woman to life, finding the quiet moments between the bombast and smoking more than your average chimney (and, as history and the movie itself records, paying the price via the lymphatic cancer that took her life in 1978).

    Helen Mirren and Camille Cottin in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    (L to R) Helen Mirren and Camille Cottin in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    Mirren is, of course, excellent in the role, whether the scene demands she square off against the male members of her cabinet who disagree with her decisions or finding time for silent reflection on the roof of her apartment building.

    Around her, there is a solid cast, most notably Cottin as Lou Kaddar, her ever-reliable personal assistant, and Heuberger as Moshe Dayan, an old colleague and friend whose advice is invaluable, but whose spirit flags as the early period of the conflict turns badly against Israel.

    Nattiv works carefully to bring out the best in his lead and supporting cast, and, along with writer Nicholas Martin, finds effective ways to handle the drama. Visually-speaking, there are a few striking moments, and a scene where she must listen over a military radio as Israeli forces suffer a devastating loss, is the standout moment in the movie.

    And while some will have problems with the non-Jewish Mirren slapping on make-up to play a Jewish icon, it’s handled so respectfully that the issue doesn’t derail the movie’s impact.

    Where does ‘Golda’ stumble?

    Helen Mirren and Lior Ashkenazi in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    (L to R) Helen Mirren and Lior Ashkenazi in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    There are some problems lurking within this one, though –– while the war moments are handled effectively within the budget constraints, it’s hard not to view this one as a TV movie that somehow found its way into a theater. Though some scenes are all the more effective because of the tight focus, others come across as ambition curtailed, which make the offering seem that much smaller and humbler, when a bigger scope could have helped up the gravitas.

    Still, it’s worth noting that a biopic about a chain-smoking Israeli Prime Minister probably doesn’t draw the sort of funding that Steven Spielberg can demand for, say, ‘Lincoln’ (or, staying closer on target, ‘Munich’, which features a portrayal of Meir).

    And while Nattiv gets creative in places, there are still some cliches of the genre his movie unavoidably falls into, while –– despite his and Mirren’s best efforts –– it never quite crawls under the skin of its subject, no matter how effective the lead actor is in inhabiting it.

    There is more than one scene that you’ll find yourself thinking that you’ve seen this in a hundred different variations.

    'Golda' director Guy Nattiv.
    ‘Golda’ director Guy Nattiv.

    Also, Meir is a truly complicated, captivating subject, and doesn’t need much in the way of cinematically stylistic tricks to make her story work, but Nattiv can’t help himself in some instances, especially a confounding scene later on that pans across a hallway full of dead birds. Symbolism is one thing. This feels like a hammer blow more than a scene.

    ‘Golda’ will most certainly not be for everyone. History buffs will enjoy seeing a key portion of Meir’s life dramatically realized (no matter the liberties that must be taken in any movie of this sort), and those who appreciate the work of Helen Mirren are certain to be drawn to the movie, which doesn’t let its issues completely sink it.

    As biopics (or partial biopics) go, it remains an engrossing look at a controversial figure, albeit one that might have benefitted from heading to a limited TV series where it might have received the scope it truly required.

    ‘Golda’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.

    'Golda' from Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.
    ‘Golda’ from Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

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  • ‘Golda’ Exclusive Interview: Director Guy Nattiv

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    Opening in theaters on August 25th is the new biopic ‘Golda,’ which examines the life of Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir and her involvement in the Yom Kippur War, and was directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Guy Nattiv (‘Skin’).

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    What is the plot of ‘Golda’?

    Golda is a ticking-clock thriller set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), with millions of lives in the balance. Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world.

    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Golda’?

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Academy Award-winning director Guy Nattiv about his work on ‘Golda,’ her incredible true story and why now was the right time to tell it, Helen Mirren’s transformative performance, Liev Schreiber’s real life meeting with Henry Kissinger, his unusual alliance with Meir, Nattiv’s directorial choices, and what he hopes audiences learn from watching the movie.

    'Golda' director Guy Nattiv.
    ‘Golda’ director Guy Nattiv.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about why now was the right time to tell Golda Meir’s story, the relevance that it still holds to this day, and the themes you wanted to explore with this film?

    Guy Nattiv: So this film started to brew in 2016/2017. It was a script that was running around, and I was attached to it only in 2018. So we didn’t really know when this movie’s going to come out. We just working on a movie and it may happen and may not happen. But miraculously, this movie came out now, which is the 50th anniversary to the Yom Kippur War, when the government in Israel is basically leading us to catastrophe, decimating the judicial system. We all feel, I mean, me and my crew, my team and my tribe, that the blindness that they had in 1973 leading us to this catastrophe of Yom Kippur is coming back again. It’s kind of a full circle. So it’s the Yom Kippur democracy. That’s one thing. That’s one subject matter. But the other thing is that it’s time to clean or clear Golda from all the wrongdoings they were blaming her for. It’s not only her narrative, a lot of it’s the intelligent division that proved her wrong. (Moshe) Dayan, who basically lost it and completely collapsed and she didn’t have him at all. Another narrative of the war, after the six-day war and the big slap the Israeli got thinking they are the kings of the Middle East, and it wasn’t right. So telling now this story about this woman, about this pioneer lady, I think it has a lot of significance to a lot of Israelis Jews and non-Jews.

    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    MF: What was your experience like working with Helen Mirren and can you talk about her physical transformation for this role?

    GN: What can you say? I mean, it’s one of the best actors in the world and one of the greatest. I mean, a lot of admiration to this woman who took on herself a big challenge, and she did a brilliant job. When we still were in our beds in hotel rooms before coming to shoot the film, she woke up at 4:00 AM, went to the trailer at 5:00am and did make up for three and a half hours. When we came to set at 7:30am eating our breakfast, she was Golda already. This is how she did it for 37 days and you didn’t hear a peep of complaining. What can I say? She’s just an amazing artist, an amazing actress, and an amazing human being. She worked, she prepared at least a year in advance before we started shooting with a dialect coach and a physical coach. She did her work. She didn’t just land and became Golda. She also did research. She saw documentaries, she read books, she heard recordings of Golda while getting the makeup done. She was putting her earphones on and she heard Golda talking from YouTube (videos). But it’s her talents and her soul that she brought to the role that made Golda who she is in the film.

    Liev Schreiber in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Liev Schreiber in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    MF: Can you talk about Liev Schreiber’s performance as Henry Kissinger, and Kissinger and Meir’s unusual friendship?

    GN: Well, Liev met Henry Kissinger in his apartment in New York two days before shooting. So yeah, we made that happen. Kissinger sat with Liev and spoke to him for an hour and a half, and gave him all the little stories about the relationship and how she planted the soup, and the scene with “First I’m Secretary of State, then I’m an American.” He gave this anecdote to Liev who brought it to the script later on and we used it. But it was just amazing to see those two brilliant actors facing each other in Golda’s kitchen in London. I was pinching myself to see if it’s real. It was so brilliant.

    Helen Mirren and Liev Schreiber in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    (L to R) Helen Mirren and Liev Schreiber in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    MF: Can you talk about your use of symbolism in the movie, specifically the symbolism of the birds, as well as a scene where Golda’s cigarette smoke dissolves into a battle sequence?

    GN: The smoke of war is basically the fog of war. I don’t know if you saw the documentary, ‘The Fog of War’? The Errol Morris documentary, it’s kind of homage to a place where you can see from one meter. You’re not able to communicate because it’s all mist. The fact that she’s smoking, she’s smoking herself to death, but it’s also the smoke that comes from an explosion, from this mushroom of explosion that her psyche, she’s in a total nightmare and the nightmare is taking over her. The smoke is an element that I wanted to use because it’s almost a mist that they all smoke there. It’s a mist that leads us to those very dark alleys and film noirish in a way. The birds, there’s a very special Israeli bird that is almost like a canary, right? I don’t know if you remember this, the canary in a coal mine, that the birds were signifying what’s going to happen a second before you get the notion. So when they go into the chimney, she understand we are going to Hell. It’s kind of a sign before it happens. When she’s walking in the tunnel there, the bird’s running away because she’s running away from the mayhem that’s going to happen from the apocalypse. At the end they’re dead because they’re dead with her soul as well. So it’s like a canary in a coal mine in a way.

    Related Article: Best Movies About Queen Elizabeth II

    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    MF: Can you talk about the importance of using actual footage of Golda Meir at the end of the film?

    GN: I think it’s something that I got from Oliver Stone and ‘JFK.’ He used a lot of documentary footage with ‘JFK,’ and he edited in a jittery way. But for me, this is the accord when I lead you, the viewer, to the end. The end is almost like, here is the real woman, and you’re not going to see the “Helen/Golda” anymore. You go with this footage to outside the cinema and seek yourself all the information. So this is kind of leading you to the outside and giving you an end within the TV that she’s watching herself.

    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures' 'Golda.'
    Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Jasper Wolf, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

    MF: Finally, what do you hope audiences take away from seeing this film?

    GN: Audiences, the people who don’t even know Golda, in Israel when you’re 19, you think Golda is an ice cream because there’s an ice cream chain in Israel called Golda. A lot of people don’t know even who Golda was, which I want them to know because when I was a kid, I watched films like ‘Gandhi.’ I was like, “Wow, there’s a man named Gandhi, and look what he did and Ben Kingsley and the whole thing”. I was overwhelmed. Then I saw ‘The Last Emperor’ of (Bernardo) Bertolucci, and that’s like, “Whoa, this is amazing.” What a story, without knowing anything. So many people tell me that, “I watched a movie and I didn’t know anything. It just blew my mind that something like that had happened.” Of course, the people who know Golda and did not know how human, how funny, how warm, how passionate and how fierce she was, could see that in her character in the movie.

    'Golda' from Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.
    ‘Golda’ from Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.

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